The Art of Courtship
by Bellaluna1
Summary: The Tohomikos are a wealthy family as are the Spicers. And what do rich families do? Have their children marry each other of course! Kimiko learns of her engagement to none other than Jack Spicer! Will she be able to forget his past and learn to love Jack
1. Where Are The Dreams?

The Art of Courting

Chapter One

By: Bellaluna

Disclaimer: I don't own Xiaolin Showdown or its characters. Please don't go copying or stealing this fic though. I put a lot of effort into it.

Author's Notes: Oh snap. So I finished my other JackxKimiko fic, "You Remind Me" (which you should all go check out if you haven't yet) and I was inspired with a brand new JackxKimiko plot! Enjoy

Chapter One

Kimiko had been preparing for this moment for nearly all her life. Since she had been old enough to understand she had known what fate her parents had in store for her. At first she had been upset about it, but in time she came to accept it as part of her life. In fact it seemed to become the easiest choice in her life after so many other choices she needed to make. The fate of the world didn't depend on this one choice. The only thing depending on this choice was her life, and his. He would certainly be affected as well. Wouldn't he?

The only problem was she didn't know who _he _was.

Long ago Kimiko had known that her parents had settled her betrothal to some other couple's son in order to create a hopefully fortuitous bond between their two companies. She never objected to the idea of an engagement to a complete stranger. It was her duty as the only Tohomiko heir to honor her parents' wishes and do as she was told. Of course that didn't stop her from having a little fun with some other boys along the way. After all she was a normal, healthy teenage girl, though she wasn't even that anymore. Her twenty-first birthday was only a few weeks away. Now a young adult she was finally to be introduced to her soon to be husband; her fiancée. Despite preparing for this moment her entire life, Kimiko was still terribly, horribly nervous. There wasn't much that set her into such a state of nervousness, but then again nothing she had faced had been so…personal. Sure, becoming a Xiaolin Dragon was huge and life changing, not to mention dangerous, but it had never really fazed her. If anything it excited her, made her life a little less drab. However getting married was a change she couldn't even begin to fathom.

With a final gasp of extra air Kimiko reached out and pushed the large oak doors open and stepped into the already crowded ballroom. Several sounds of awe and revered whispers spread throughout the room as she entered it, wearing her recently purchased and tailored frosty pink ball gown. The light airy fabric swished noisily around her as she tried to calmly search out her parents, her cheeks turned pink from all the attention. She liked attention, but this was just ridiculous. She never liked the fancy ball gowns that her parents insisted she wear to balls and fancy dress parties. It was almost as bad as when her parents made her wear her kimono to meetings and other formal events. Almost.

Unsuccessful in the search for her parents Kimiko settled for any kind of familiar face, and yet she couldn't seem to find that. Of course she recognized many of the guests; all big business types, but none of them were people she was actually interested in speaking with. She was certain most of them would bore her to death with talk of business or overwhelm her with unnecessary compliments in hope to please her and thus please her parents.

Sighing, Kimiko turned, her dress swirling about her, ready for a retreat to the nearest caterer with a try of appetizers. She let out a cry when instead she crashed into the back of one of the surrounding guests.

"Oh!" she gasped as she backed away a step, steadying herself.

"That's alright," the guest replied as he turned to face her.

Kimiko looked up to smile at him but as her eyes came to rest on his the smile quickly faded. His all too familiar eyes looked just as shocked at she felt upon taking a good look at him. He was taller, yes, and his skin had a bit more color to it but that same hair, those same red eyes and the same black marks below those eyes, the young man before her was none other than…

"_JACK SPICER!_"

Immediately Kimiko leapt back, guests spilling out of the way and staring at the sudden upset that had taken place. Hiking up her skirt with one hand Kimiko assumed her usual fighting stance. She snarled at the once evil nemesis. They hadn't seen each other a number of years, but she was taking no chances. Who knew what he had waiting for her, just to ruin this crucial night.

Jack meanwhile had dumped the plate of appetizers he had held to the floor and stepped into a battle stance of his own. Kimiko had never known him to fight on his own, but who knows what he had been up too after he disappeared. She wasn't counting out his Jackbots though so she kept an eye out, looking all around.

Finally she dashed forward, her fist aimed at Jack's face. Much to her shock, Jack acted fast and almost on reflex grabbed her wrist, twisting her arm and pulling her body up against his.

"I didn't know you missed me so much Kimicup," Jack's eerie voice whispered in her ear, his lips all together too close for her liking. She shivered in disgust and found enough room to jab her elbow in Jack's stomach, causing him to release his hold on her and stumble back a bit. Kimiko spun and readied herself for another quick attack. Using a roundhouse kick she attacked Jack's legs, sending her to the floor, holding his stomach in pain. Kimiko closed in on him, ready to attack if he made any sudden moves. "Jack Spicer, what the hell are you doing here?" she demanded to know.

"I could ask you the same thing," Jack groaned.

"I happen to live here Jack. You on the other hand…"

"You…what?"

Before Kimiko could respond to how stupid Jack sounded, not understanding the most simple of concepts, she heard the familiar sound of her father clearing his throat behind her. She carefully peered over her shoulder at him. "Yes papa?" she asked tensely.

Her father had a strange grimace on his face and her mother stood next to him, looking extremely distraught and completely embarrassed. Her face was red and her gloved covered hands gracefully covered her gaping mouth.

"Kimiko, might I ask why on earth you are pummeling your fiancée in the middle of the ballroom?"

"My what?!" "Her what?!" Both cries came simultaneously.

"Yes, Kimiko," her mother nodded, her hands coming back down to her side. "Kimiko, I'd like you to meet Jack Spicer, your fiancée."

"Trust me," Kimiko said bluntly. "I've met him and he is _not _my fiancée."

"Oh dear," her mother said fanning herself with her hand. "I'm afraid he is though darling. Long ago we agreed with the Spicers that you would be betrothed to their son."

Kimiko balled her hands up into fists, her teeth clenched together as she attempted to hold in her anger at the situation at hand. She risked taking a look back over at Jack who was now back on his feet, a bruise forming around his eye. She smirked at that for a moment, proud of her work, but the smirk was wiped away when Jack looked just as shocked as she felt. Was it possible that he had not known about their engagement either? Kimiko had naturally assumed that Jack's presence there was just part of another one of his evil schemes.

Though, then again, Jack hadn't pulled off any evil schemes in quite some time. After she and the other Xiaolin Dragons had successfully beat Wuya, Chase Young and Hannibal Bean, Jack had disappeared. None of them heard from him ever again, that is of course, until today. That didn't mean that Kimiko was just going to believe that Jack was now on the side of all that is righteous and good. People just do not change like that.

"Father," Kimiko seethed, her fists clenched at her sides. "Might I remind you that this is the lunatic who tried to take over your company?!"

Kimiko's father tilted his head to one side as he apparently processed this detail. "Oh yes," he finally said with a nod. "I suppose I do recall that, but it was such a long time ago.

"Yes, and Jack's parent's have given such high compliments of him, so there's no possible way he'd try such a thing," Kimiko's mother added.

"Oh indeed," Mr. Spicer said in agreement. "Jack has far outlived that silly little phase in his life."

"You know teenagers," Mrs. Spicer smiled. "They always go through a rebellious stage."

"REBELLIOUS!?" Kimiko exclaimed. "He tried to take over the world for crying out loud! Teenagers do not seek world domination in order to rebel against their parents! Do you even pay attention to what your son does!?"

"Kimiko Tohomiko!" her mother gasped. She snatched Kimiko by the arm and pulled her even further away from Jack. "Your father and I did not raise you to act in such a manner! Now apologize to the Spicer's immediately!" she cried at the Spicers, who stood back looking extremely shocked at Kimiko's outburst.

Kimiko nearly bit her tongue as she held back the rage building up within her. She was about ready to tear up the entire ball room and throw the punch in everyone's face. However, she was momentarily distracted when she heard the ballroom doors creak open once again. She peered over at the entrance and suddenly her anger seemed to dissipate somewhat.

"Fine," Kimiko muttered. "I'm _terribly _sorry about all this. Now if you'll excuse me, my _friends _are here."

Without another word Kimiko spun on her heels, her gown still hiked up in her hand and sprinted for the entrance. There ahead of her were the people she needed the most at that very moment. They were older, they had changed, but they were still her very best friends. With one final sprint she flung herself at none other than Raimundo, Clay and Omi.

"Oh guys!" she cried. "I'm missed you all so much and you won't _believe _what's happened!"

"Correct me if I'm wrong missy," Clay said in a now much deeper, rougher accent. "But I do believe I detect a bit of moisture in those eyes of yours. Having a hard evening?"

Kimiko gasped, unaware that she had shed any tears, and roughly scrubbed at her face, getting rid of any tears. "You have no idea," she groaned.

"Does it have to do with this fiancée of yours?" Raimundo asked, his hand forming a fist in the air. "Is he a total creep? Let me take care of him for you!" he offered, all too eagerly.

"Be my guest," Kimiko sighed and stepped aside so that the three boys had a perfect view of the pale red-head gathering himself together at the other end of the ball room. Immediately, all three of the mouths fell open and their eyes widened in shock.

"K-Kimiko," Omi managed to sputter out, still starring over at Jack. "Are you to telling us that your betrothed is Jack Spicer?" he asked, in complete and utter disbelief.

"Yes Omi," she said. "That's exactly what I'm telling you."


	2. Or Will You Dance With Me Tonight?

The Art of Courtship

Chapter Two

By Bellaluna

Disclaimer: I do not own Xiaolin Showdown or its characters. However this fanfic is mine so please don't go about stealing or copying it. Thank you!

Author's Notes: Ta da! And here we are with chapter two. Thank you for all the lovely reviews for chapter one and I look forward to more for this chapter!! School has started so with all the moving and classes starting, I might be a bit slow updating, but I'll try to get chapter three out as soon as I can!

Chapter Two

If possible, it seemed that Clay, Raimundo and Omi were more freaked out over Kimiko's engagement than she herself had been. All three of them still displayed looks of mixed shock and terror. Meanwhile Kimiko was standing next to them, furious, muttering under her breath.

"Kimiko, you can't be serious!" Raimundo finally shouted. "Don't your parents understand that they've engaged you to the lowest scum of the earth!?"

"Apparently not," Kimiko responded dryly.

"And what about how he tried to ruin your father?" Clay added.

"Oh, they don't care about that anymore. They seem to think Jack was just going through a stage," she seethed and made air quotations with her fingers. "Boys will be boys and all"

"Surely your parents will not force you into such a match if you are so object to it?" Omi said, his voice hopeful for his friend.

"Don't worry about it Omi," Kimiko said with a smirk. "As soon as this stupid ball is over and I get a chance to talk with my parents alone I'll be able to get them to call it off. I mean, if had been any other guy…"

"Speak of the devil…" Clay muttered under his breath. Kimiko gasped and turned. Sure enough, Jack Spicer was making his way across the ball room until his was right in front of her.

"What do _you _want?" she asked, almost in a growl.

"Why, my dear," Jack said, laying it on as thick as possible. "I do believe our parents wish for us to share a waltz together to commemorate our…" he took Kimiko's hand and gracefully placed a kiss upon it. "…'meeting'."

Kimiko blanched in disgust and quickly pulled her hand away from Jack's grasp. Immediately all three of the boys moved into fighting positions, ready to attack Jack.

"You leave her alone Spicer!" Raimundo shouted and lunged forward.

"No!" Kimiko gasped and grabbed him at his waste, holding him back.

"Kimiko? What are you doing? Are you going to let him get away with this?" Raimundo struggled to get free. Kimiko let him go and looked at him with a frown.

"If you fight him you'll only get kicked out, and I need you guys here right now," she whispered, her voice pained. "I'll do this, if only for my parents."

"Kimiko…"

"Don't worry about me Rai," Kimiko said, attempting a wink and a smile. "I'm a big girl. I can take care of myself, especially against Spicer."

Raimundo sighed and moved aside. Kimiko took a deep breath, even deeper than when she had entered the room and walked back to Jack. She said nothing, back bowed her head and curtsied before him. Jack returned the nod and bowed. Without another word he took her waist and her hand and led her onto the dance floor. Kimiko cringed as his pale skin touched hers, but she forced herself to place on hand on her shoulder and the other in his hand. Together with him they stepped in time with the beat of the waltz that played around them.

"So this is quite the surprise, don't you think Kimicup?" Jack whispered in her ear, once again far too close for her comfort. She shuddered, but composed herself. She gave a snort of disbelief in response.

"Like this is really such a surprise for you."

"Trust me, I'm just as shocked as you are. I thought I was coming here to meet some complete stranger, and instead I come face to face with you. I can't say I'm exactly disappointed though…"

"Why?" Kimiko half laughed. "So you can tease me to no end, or so that you can try some evil plot on me?"

"What? You don't believe I might just be interested in _you_?"

Kimiko faltered in her step back quickly caught up. "No," she replied bluntly. "Why should I believe anything you say anyways?"

"A good point," Jack said with a nod. "But I suppose only time will tell."

"Not likely," Kimiko replied as a smug grin formed on her lips. "As soon as I get a moment alone with my parents, I'll have them call this whole thing off."

"I have no doubt of that," he said. "We'll just have to see how that works out won't we? Until then, I suppose I'll just have to enjoy our little dance."

Kimiko gritted her teeth and continued to dance, but it was almost unbearable. With all the faces watching them dance to and fro as if they were the happiest couple in the world and _not _two old enemies ready to destroy each other. She was miserable, but Jack on the other hand seemed to be getting too much enjoyment out of the whole situation. It was as if he was actually having fun. She didn't put it past Jack though. Other people's misery seemed to be like a new toy to him. It provided hours and hours of entertainment. That's all this was to him a simple little farce.

The music faded away and their steps slowed. Everyone around them gave a gentle, but clear applause of approval at their dance together. Kimiko could have been sick right then and there but she held it back and smiled brightly enough to make it seem like she was enjoying herself. There was no need to make these people gossip anymore about the nights events. However, as soon as the music stopped she withdrew her hands from Jack, gave him another curtsy and swiftly walked away, back to the others.

"How was it?" Raimundo asked with a slight grin.

Kimiko shivered and cringed. "I didn't think it was possible, but Jack might be even creepier than before."

"Well don't you worry none," Clay said with an understanding smile. "You just talk to yer parents and that'll be the end of it right?"

"I sure hope so."

---

"TWO WEEKS?" Kimiko exclaimed and leapt for her seat at the dining room table. "You're joking right?"

"Not at all Kimiko dear," her mother shook her head in complete seriousness. "You're father and I have taken your opinions into thought and we know you wouldn't object without proper reasoning."

"All we ask is that you take the next two weeks getting to know Jack, see how he's changed perhaps, and then we will accept whatever decision you make on the matter," her father continued. "He will spend the next week here with us, and the following week you will spend time with Jack and his family."

"Ugh," Kimiko groaned and rolled her eyes. "Fine!" she said and stormed out of the room, making her way to her bedroom. Spending two weeks with Jack Spicer was the last thing that Kimiko ever wanted to do, but as far as she saw it, spending two weeks with him was a great deal better than marrying him. She'd deal with these coming weeks and be rid of him forever. She went into her room, slamming the door behind her. Lazily she changed into her pajamas and collapsed onto her bed, exhausted. She curled up under the covers and drifted off into dreamland.

---

The next morning, Kimiko awoke to the sound of her bedroom door creaking opened. She opened her eyes, but did not stir. She figured it was most likely one of the maids, collecting her laundry or something to that effect. Needless to say she was shocked when whoever had entered the room pounced on top of her and wrapped her in a giant hug.

"W-who?" she exclaimed and squirmed to get free. "Get off me!" she cried.

"Oh don't be such a panicky little school girl," a familiar female voice replied. "It's only me after all!"

Instantly Kimiko recognized the voice. "Keiko!" she gasped. The other girl released her and Kimiko jumped up in bed, giving her best friend a giant hug. "What are you doing here?"

"Well, let's just say a certain Brazillian birdie told me you were having some trouble," Keiko replied coyly, a smile on her lips.

"You've been talking with Raimundo?" Kimiko asked, rather shocked by the news.

"Yeah, we've been chatting from time to time and he told you about your new fiancée."

"Don't remind me," Kimiko groaned and leaned her head against Keiko's shoulder.

"That bad huh?"

"Worse."

"Well, then it's a good thing I'm on vacation then huh?" Keiko grinned from ear to ear. Kimiko looked up at her friend's excited expression.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"I mean, I'm going to stick around you like glue for the next two weeks. After all, when a young couple is courting, they always need a chaperone now don't they?" Keiko smirked.

"I would hardly call what Jack and I are doing as 'courting'," Kimiko grunted. She then shuddered. "I don't even want to imagine what courting with Jack would be like."

"Well come on and get up," Keiko said, getting off the bed. "If we're going to do this, we might as well do it in style…"

"Shopping?!" Kimiko asked, her face brightening in delight.

"You bet," Keiko said with a wink. "If you need to face this creep, we might as well have him be in awe of you and your desirable beauty."

Kimiko laughed at the thought as she leapt out of bed. With Keiko around things were bound to go at least a little easier than she had thought. Jack had better watch out. When she and Keiko were together, there was little that they couldn't deal with.


	3. I just wanna scream and lose control

The Art of Courtship

Chapter Three

By: Bellaluna

Disclaimer: Sadly, I do not own Xiaolin Showdown or its characters. I do however take ownership of this fanfic, so please do not copy or steal it.

Author's Notes: Well hey there! I'm here with Chapter Three, fresh out of the oven. Just so you know though, I doubt another update will come for a while because I'll be participating in Nanowrimo next month and I'll be concentrating on writing a 50k word novel. Fun! Also, in reviews a few people have noted how old fashioned courting is. Let me be clear, the mention of 'courting' in this fanfic by any characters is a joke and is not to be taken seriously. There are still cases of arranged marriages though, so that is serious. Thanks!

Chapter Three

That same morning Jack awoke in a mood most similar to Kimiko. The night before he had gone to bed with mixed feelings. For years he had been dreading the night when he would be introduced to his fiancé, his _betrothed._ The whole idea of it just seemed like some pathetic ploy on the part of his parents to stay in the past and be 'traditional,' not to mention rich. And anyone who knew the slightest thing about Jack knew he was anything but traditional. So begrudgingly Jack was brought to Japan to meet the girl, this complete stranger, whom his parents had chosen for him to marry.

Just the thought of Japan brought back memories of the ambitions and plans he had once carried just a few years ago. Mainly, because it reminded him of _her_. Kimiko, the Xiaolin Dragon of fire, had caught his attention from the beginning. Of course circumstances hadn't exactly been the best for him to get to know her. She was the enemy, every day, getting in the way of his plans to rule the world. But now that he no longer held such a goal things seemed a little different in his mind. Back then he'd never admit, even to himself, that he might have liked Kimiko. From an early age Jack had shut himself off from others. His parents, always too busy with business and parties, never had time to spend with him, so with plenty of unsupervised time, money and intelligence on his hands, Jack dove head first into world domination.

But now, years later he was now twenty-two and he had grown apart from the ideals he had once held. When Wuya and the Shen Gong Wu entered the picture, his interest in all things evil grew, but now that they were gone, his interest had faded. All of his Heylin 'allies' had been defeated by the Xiaolin Warriors and only he was left. And so he gave up. Evil and world domination took a backseat as he finished school and prepared to take over his family's business. Of course he still worked on his inventions and from time to time his thoughts would wander to his once-upon-a-time enemies the Xiaolin Dragons and most of all he thought of Kimiko.

So he was shocked, to say the least, when he came face to face with Kimiko at the party he had been dragged to that fateful evening. And the shock was only worsened when their parents all confirmed that she was the one that he was supposed to marry. In that moment he had no idea what to do. He couldn't help but feel the slightest bit of joy at the prospect of the arrangement. For years he had dreaded this day, fearing his parents had chosen some empty headed rich girl for him to marry, but instead they had chosen Kimiko, who was anything but empty headed. However, in that same moment a sense of doom fell down on him. He knew that Kimiko would be devastated by all of this.

As he expected, Kimiko immediately lashed out against their parents' wishes. He couldn't really blame her. After all, they had been enemies for so long and he had treated her and her friends horribly. That's just who he had been and it was hard to change, not to mention convince another of that change.

That night, he had taken her hand and danced with her. It didn't seem real. Inside, he was ecstatic, but all the same, he returned to acting like his old, horrible self to Kimiko. He tried to silence himself and enjoy the moment, because he knew, _he knew, _that he would never have a chance like this again. Kimiko would have her way and they would never meet like this again, and perhaps it was for the best.

And so, for the second time that night Jack was shocked. His parents explained how he would be spending two weeks, _two whole weeks, _with Kimiko. Perhaps this was his chance. Maybe he could make her see that he had changed, not as drastically as she might have liked, but enough.

Upon awakening that morning Jack defiantly had his doubts about everything that took place the previous night and what was to come in the next two weeks, but he was ready for it. At least, he hoped he was.

After getting dressed, he packed his things and had some breakfast with his parents, he was ready to go. Before he knew it, he was back, standing in the main hall of the Tohomiko mansion. Some servants greeted him and immediately took his things away for him. Now he was left alone, simply waiting for someone to come and tell him where to go.

He didn't wait too long, as Mr. and Mrs. Tohomiko soon entered the hall. They greeted him warmly enough, but even Jack had to admit the situation was a bit awkward. Kimiko had been right in bringing up the fact that he had attempted a hostile take over of the Tohomiko Company, one of his more clever schemes. Fortunately, Mr. Tohomiko seemed rather forgetful.

"We're very sorry about Kimiko's behavior last night," Mrs. Tohomiko said. "I just have no idea what came over her."

"I do," Jack muttered under his breath and rolled his eyes.

"What was that dear?" Mrs. Tohomiko asked.

"Oh nothing," Jack replied. "Just thinking."

"Well then," Mr. Tohomiko said as he gave Jack a hearty pat on the back. "Let's go into the dining room. Kimiko and her friend are waiting for us there."

"Friend?" Jack asked curiously.

"Yes, her name is Keiko Tanemura," Mrs. Tohomiko informed him. "Because Kimiko is having such a difficult time with the arrangement we thought having a friend might help things go a little smoother."

The sense of dread that had been sitting inside of Jack suddenly grew by leaps and bounds. Dealing with an angry Kimiko would be bad enough, but dealing with her _and _a friend would be impossible. He knew for sure now, that he was doomed.

When they entered the dining room Kimiko and her friend were already seated at the table, both finishing up breakfast.

"Kimiko dear," Mrs. Tohomiko said merrily. "Your guest is here."

"Mother," Kimiko said in a stale tone. She looked up and stared deadpan at Jack and her parents. "Let me make one thing clear: Spicer is _your _guest, not mine."

"Kimiko!" Mr. Tohomiko said harshly. "I will not have you be rude!"

"Oh, don't worry Papa," Kimiko replied. "I will be on my best behavior for _your _guest."

Jack stood and said nothing as he watched Kimiko firmly state her place in all of this. He was scared out of his mind about what was going to happen over the next two weeks, but he couldn't help but admire Kimiko's strength to stand up to her parents. It was almost a relief to see that she still had the same fiery attitude that she had had when they were younger. Her stubborn determination, her need to prove herself to everyone, which is what always caught his eye.

Lost in thought, Jack missed most of the conversation going on around him. Voices were raised, but he was oblivious to what they were actually arguing about. It wasn't until a voice called out his name that he snapped back to attention.

"So Jack!" The caller was Kimiko's friend, Keiko.

"Yes?" Jack replied numb.

"Kimiko and I were thinking of showing you around Tokyo, do some shopping…you interested?"

"Ah…sure," he said with a nod. "That sounds fine."

"Great!" Keiko said with a brilliant smile on her face. She stood up and walked over to Kimiko, tugging on her friend's arm. "Come on Kimi," she said. "We're just going to go get ready," she announced. "We'll meet you in the entrance hall in about five minutes."

"Sure," Jack said with another nod. He watched quietly as Keiko practically dragged Kimiko out of the room.

"Well," Mrs. Tohomiko said, taking a deep breath. "Why don't we just take you back to the entrance hall Jack?"

"Don't worry about it," Jack replied. "I'm sure the two of you are both very busy. I can find my own way back."

"Thank you dear," she said with a sigh of relief. "We'll see you at dinner then."

"If you need us for anything I believe your parents gave you our cell phone numbers. Feel free to call us," Mr. Tohomiko added.

"Yes, thank you sir," Jack said. "I'll just be going then." He smiled, then turned and left the room.

When Jack entered the hall he was glad to have a moment to himself. He sighed heavily and slumped down on to a nearby chair. As he took a breath and tried to calm himself, his cell phone went off. He groaned and reached into his pocket for his phone.

"Hello?" he asked, flipping the phone open.

"WHERE ARE YOU!?" an all too familiar voice screeched on the other end. Jack winced and pulled the phone away from his ear.

"Megan?" he asked, addressing his panicking cousin.

"WHERE ARE YOU!?" she repeated, just as loud.

"I'm in Japan. _Why?_" Jack replied, already too exasperated to deal with his cousin.

"_Because _idiot," Megan whined. "I'm bored and I came to visit you but YOU'RE NOT HERE!"

"What, am I your personal amusement maker?"

"Well duh," Megan spoke, quieting down somewhat. "What the heck are you doing in Japan anyways? Trying to take over the world again?"

"No," Jack said with a snort.

"Then what are you doing?"

"I suppose you could say I'm courting."

"Please, what are you, like 80?" Megan laughed. "Courting who?"

"Kimiko Tohomiko," Jack replied, a little shaky. "She's the one my mom and dad set me up with."

"Wait," Megan said, sounding suspicious. "Isn't she one of those kids you were always fighting with?"

"Yep," Jack sighed. "That's her."

"Cute," Megan replied, her voice full of sarcasm.

"I'm glad you approve," Jack shot back at her with just as much sarcasm. "Look, I've got to go now," he said as Kimiko and Keiko entered the hall.

"Have fun," Megan teased and hung up.

Jack rolled his eyes as he hung up and put his phone back into his coat pocket.

"Who was that?" Keiko asked.

"My cousin, Megan," Jack replied with a shrug.

"You mean that girl you brought to the showdown that one time?" Kimiko asked.

"That's her," Jack said, a little surprised. "You remember that?"

"I remember anyone who makes you look like an idiot," Kimiko said with a smirk.

"Hey!" Jack snapped. "I am _not _an idiot," he spoke, quick to defend his genius mind.

"And yet you continuously act like one," she replied, turning away from him. "Let's go," she said before Jack had a chance to say anything in retaliation.

Keiko grinned at Jack then turned with Kimiko, both of them heading for the front door. Jack fumed behind them, but followed them outside anyways.

---

After five hours of shopping, Jack was about ready to scream. Kimiko and Keiko had dragged him to store after store for the soul purpose of carrying everything they bought. His arms grew sore as he held several bags and multiple boxes in them. At the moment he stood outside the woman's dressing room while the girls were trying on what was probably their hundredth piece of clothing for the day.

Soon enough Kimiko emerged from the dressing room wearing a deep red gown. Its silky fabric hung from her shoulders, hugging close to every curve on her body and flowed down on to the floor. Jack's attention was easily snagged as he starred at Kimiko, his mouth gaping open ever so slightly. Kimiko merely glared at him then called back into the dressing room for Keiko. Wearing a new top, Keiko came out and examined her friend's choice of clothing. It only took a moment for her to smile brightly and squeal with delight.

"Kimi!" she exclaimed. "That dress is perfect for you. You _have _to get it!"

"Really? You think?" Kimiko asked, her cheeks turning slightly pink.

"Yes, defiantly," Keiko nodded, speaking firmly. "What do you think Jack?"

Jack fumbled with the boxes in his arms as he was surprised to be addressed. He took another good look at Kimiko who was now glaring directly at Keiko. He smirked and stepped over to Kimiko. "Well anything looks good on my little Kimicup," he said slyly. "But this dress is particularly stunning on her."

Kimiko shuddered and marched back into the dressing room. "I'm defiantly not buying it now!" she called.

Jack sighed and slumped up against the wall once again. "Good to know she's still as stubborn as ever."

Keiko snorted at Jack's comment. "It is her strongest talent," she teased. "However, when it comes to you, I can't exactly blame her."

"Hey, at least I'm trying to make this work," Jack sneered.

"Hah!" Keiko laughed. "Hardly."

"What?"

"Please," she said rolling her eyes. "You've been teasing her every chance you get!"

Jack starred down at the floor, with nothing to say. After all, she was right.

"That's what I though," Keiko said proudly. "If you want to get anywhere with this, you're certainly going to have to try a lot harder." With that said she disappeared back into the dressing room.

Jack grunted, shifting the bags and packages in his arms. He knew he needed to try, but it just seemed that Kimiko always brought out the worst in him. After all, old habits are hard to break. He wanted to compliment her, but all that came out of his mouth was teasing and insulting to her. Maybe Kimiko was right, maybe it would never work out.

Not too much later, Kimiko and Keiko emerged once again from the dressing room, with a new pile of clothes each. They went to the counter and paid for their new purchases. When they finished they both turned to Jack.

"Well take them," Kimiko said, pushing her bags at Jack.

"No," Jack replied quietly.

"_What?_"

"No," he said more loudly this time. "In case you failed to notice, I am not a pack mule!"

"You might as well be," Kimiko muttered.

"That's it!" Jack shouted and threw everything in his arms to the floor. "Listen here Princess," Jack said sternly as he stared Kimiko down. "Whether you like it or not, your parents have decided to make me you fiancé and while that may only last for a few weeks, you could at least attempt to be civil and treat me like a human being."

"And why should I?" Kimiko shouted back stubbornly.

"Because I am one," Jack replied. "I know what you're trying to do; pushing me away so I'll call all of this off. Well guess what? That's not going to happen. I'm not letting you off that easy."

"You…you are the most horrible, selfish person I have ever met!" Kimiko seethed.

"Well that makes two of us," Jack spoke, then turned away. "I'm going now. You can carry your own things. Don't think I'm leaving though. I'll see you at dinner tonight."

With that he stormed out of the store, leaving behind and angry, bewildered Kimiko and a smirking Keiko.


	4. Always Look on the Bright Side of Life

The Art of Courtship

Chapter Four

By Bellaluna

Disclaimer: I do not own Xiaolin Showdown or its characters. I do however own this fic, so please do not copy or steal it. Thank you!

Author's Notes: Hey guys! Sorry for such a long break between chapters but I needed some recovery time after NaNoWriMo. And guess what!? I actually wrote the whole 50,000 words in one month! Woohoo! But now here I am back in gear and ready to mess with our favorite couple, Jack and Kimiko. Enjoy!

Chapter Four

"_That's it,_" Kimiko seethed as she began to collect her discarded purchases on the floor. "I am going home, telling my parents I cannot deal with such a creep and locking myself in my room until he leaves!"

"You _could _do that…" Keiko said calmly as she joined Kimiko on the floor. "_Or _you could think about what he said."

Kimiko looked at her best friend appalled at the mere idea of what she was suggesting.

"Are you _insane _Keiko?" she said, mouth gaping open in disgust. "You're supposed to be _my _friend, not _his_."

"And I _am _Kimi," Keiko said, placing her hand on Kimiko's shoulder to reassure her. "I'm here for you and I will support whatever decision you make, but I really think this guy is trying his best to be nice to you. Don't you think this whole ordeal is just as hard for him as it is for you?"

Kimiko said nothing but stared down at the floor. She was about ready to kill Jack but Keiko had a point, which she really, _really _hated to admit. But it was hard to go from completely loathing and distrusting someone to tolerating them, let alone being engaged to them. In all honesty she didn't see the point in getting along with him if she was just going to break off their engagement at the end of the two weeks anyways.

But then again…Jack hadn't been his usual self all afternoon. He had been civil, nice even. Kimiko then looked back on her own actions that day. She groaned and rubbed her forehead, feeling a headache coming on. She had been terrible! Not just to Jack, but her parents as well. Her temper had defiantly gotten the best of her, causing her to snap at all of them. She had been anything but herself.

"Sorry Keiko," she sighed as she finished scooping up the rest of her bags. "I've been pretty awful today haven't I?"

"Just a bit," Keiko smirked. "But I forgive you."

"Gee thanks."

"Hey, what are friends for?"

"Well now what?" Kimiko wondered aloud. Seeing as she had pretty much destroyed the day, she didn't quite know how to put it back together again.

"I say, we head back to your place as your parents are expecting us for dinner," Keiko answered.

"But what about Jack? My parents will be furious if he's not there."

"Leave that to me," Keiko said with a wink. "You finish cleaning up here. I'll be right back."

Before Kimiko could mutter out any semblance of a protest Keiko had run off out of sight.

He had blown it.

Any chance that Jack might have had to get into Kimiko's good graces had been destroyed and he knew it. He hadn't meant to explode like that but Kimiko was being so stubborn and that frustrated the hell out of him. Back in the day all of the Xiaolin warriors had annoyed and frustrated them, but none of them like Kimiko could. He hadn't known why then, but now that he'd relieved that frustration he knew exactly why. He cared what she thought about him.

He'd never cared what people thought of him. After all he had been a prepubescent boy on a rampage for world domination. But for some reason her opinion mattered, and he hated it.

In the midst of his thoughts and self loathing, Jack found himself in the middle of a busy, not to mention crowded street with shops lined wall to wall on each side. He spotted one of many internet cafes and made a beeline for the door. He needed something to drink and besides he figured he might as well send an e-mail to his parents informing them what a terrible fiancé he was and how he had decided to live a bachelor hidden away in his lab the rest of his pitiful life.

However what he found inside made him bolt right back outside. Quickly, but stiffly he began to march away, but not before he heard to ting from the bell over the café's door.

"Howdy there Spicer. I thought it was you," the thick Texan accent caused Jack to freeze in spot, not daring to move another inch. He'd had enough trouble that day and he didn't need any more.

"Well don't just sit there like some frightened Jackrabbit. Why don't you come back on in here?"

Trying his best not to snarl at the Jackrabbit remark Jack slowly turned on his heals and stared at the cowboy, Clay who smiled at him from under the brim of his hat. Jack glared back at him, but the smile did not waver.

"Why should I?" Jack asked stubbornly. "So you and your pals can tell me to back off from your sweet little princess? I don't think so. Besides, she's already taken care of that by herself."

"Nah," Clay said with a laugh and a shake of his head. "We just want to talk is all. Let bygones be bygones y'know?"

"Right, I'm sure that's all you three want to do. Talk."

"Okay, well maybe Rai ain't too keen on the idea but me and Omi are perfectly hospitable," Clay admitted. "Just come on in and have a coffee."

Jack rolled his eyes and shoved his hands deep into the pockets of his jacket. He muttered something that resembled and agreement and followed Clay back into the café were he was immediately tackled by Omi.

"Jack Spicer! I am glad to see that Clay was able to convince you to return!" he exclaimed gleefully.

"Opi, will you get your hands off me!?" Jack shouted as he struggled to peel the young monk off of him.

"Certainly," Omi obliged and stepped away. "So how was your day with Kimiko and Keiko?" he asked without a hint of malice, just as Jack expected.

"Wonderful, if you enjoy being a pack mule," Jack grumbled. His reply cause not only Omi to give him a confused look, but send Raimundo into a small fit of laughter.

"Dude, what did you expect?" he asked. "Sunshine and daffodils?"

"Of course not!" Jack snapped. "I'm not an idiot."

"Could have fooled me," Rai sneered.

Jack glared back in response and curled his hand up in a fist. One more word from Rai and Jack's fist would be in his face.

"Hey now," Clay said stepping in between the two of them. "This ain't no showdown."

Raimundo looked as if he was going to say something in reply to Clay's statement, but before he could an upbeat tune interrupted the tense moment. Rai tore his stare from Jack and looked down at his pocket as he pulled his cell phone out of it. Flipping I open he raised it to his ear and spun around, his back facing the other three.

"Hello?" he answered. "Oh hey there Kei! What? ….Really? Do we have to? Ugh. Fine. You owe me though. Yeah, alright, talk to you later. Bye."

Turning back around, an odd half smile was pasted on Rai's face. He closed his phone with a click in slid it back into his pocket.

"Was that Keiko?" Omi inquired, looking at his friend curiously. His question of course, caused Jack quite some confusion. As far as he knew Keiko didn't know any of the dragons, other than Kimiko, but it seemed now, that that wasn't the case.

"Yeah," Raimundo said with a sigh. "She wants us to, 'keep an eye on Jack' and meet her and Kimiko at a bar downtown around nine."

"Does she now?" Clay replied. "Well, that shouldn't be too much trouble now."

"I don't think so," Jack interjected. "Who says I'm going to sit around here while you losers baby-sit me?"

"Why? You got something better to do?" Rai pointed out. "Let's just go have some dinner, and stop being such a big baby about it."

Rai pushed past Jack and Clay and made his way to the door without another word.

"Well come on," Clay said to Jack, as well as Omi. "You heard the man." With a signaling wink to Omi, both of the dragons grabbed hold of Jack's arms and dragged him out of the café.

---

Meanwhile, Kimiko and Keiko had made their way back home or dinner. Of course when they had returned without Jack, both Mr. and Mrs. Tohomiko were quick to interrogate their daughter. Kimiko, who was still too befuddled by the events that had gone on in the mall could only manage to mutter out some nonsense with an apology tagged on to the end. Fortunately Keiko was quick on the uptake and easily explained to the Tohomikos that Jack had met up with some friends for dinner and that she and Kimiko would be joining them later for some drinks. They both seemed to find this reasonable explanation and spoke nothing more on the subject for the rest of dinner, much to Kimiko's relief.

Her relief was shot lived however, as she was once again tense as Keiko ushered her back out of the Tohomiko mansion to meet up with Jack for drinks. All she really wanted to do was crawl into the safety of her bed and never come out. However, it seemed her best friend would have none of that.

"Come on Kimiko," Keiko said, rolling her eyes. "It's not like it's going to be just him! The other guys will be there too."

"I suppose," Kimiko replied. "How did you get them to agree to this anyways?" she asked curiously.

"Oh nothing," Keiko answered in a singsong voice as she hurried her pace up a bit.

"Oh really now," Kimiko said, eyebrows raised, as she followed after the other girl.

"Really," Keiko laughed, and revealed nothing more. Of course Kimiko kept pestering her for answers, but still she wouldn't say a word. And so it wasn't long before they found themselves at the bar which Keiko had planned for them to meet the boys at.

When they entered inside they immediately spotted the guys across the way, sitting at the counter. Aside for them the bar was pretty empty, though it was still early. Clay was the first to notice they had arrived and waved them over. Keiko gave an enthusiastic waved back, simultaneously jabbing Kimiko in the side to wave as well. Kimiko bit her lip so not to yelp, at gave a weak wave so as not to incur anymore wrath from Keiko. Together they walked over to the group and said hello all around. Both Clay and Omi looked rather pleased, though for Raimundo and Jack it was a different story. Both were childishly pouting in their seats, Jack not even bothering to say hello. Raimundo leapt off the bar stool and dashed over to Keiko.

"You're finally here!" he said, his voice full of relief. "What took you so long?"

"It's called dinner Raimundo," Keiko replied, rolling her eyes for the second time that night.

"You know, that thing you eat at night?" Kimiko added teasingly.

"Ha, ha," Rai said, frowning. "Very funny."

"Now, I'm sure you guys had just a fine time," Keiko smiled. "Didn't you Clay?"

"Yes ma'am," Clay said with a tip of his hat.

"Oh yes!" Omi piped up, spinning in his stool, next to Jack. His face was flushed and he teetered from side to side on the stool, threatening to fall off at any moment. Clay saw this and put a balancing hand on his shoulder.

"Would you believe the little guy never had a drink in his life?" the cowboy said with a smirk.

"Yes," Kimiko replied, grinning. "How many did he have already?"

"Just the one."

"This alcohol is quite deliciousssss," the dragon of water slurred.

"No more for you tonight Omi," Kimiko laughed and gave him and friendly pat on the head. "Don't want to make your head any worse for the morning."

"Well why don't you ladies take a seat and get your orders in," Clay suggested. Rai eagerly led Keiko to the stool in between his seat and Clay's, thus leaving Kimiko with the only stool that was left, which was of course, right next to where Jack was sitting. Thankfully Clay was on the other side, so she hoped it would at least be bearable to sit there. With a sigh she made her way to the stool and took her seat. She immediately made sure to turn towards Clay so she could barely even see Jack at her other side. The bartender came by and took everyone's order and went off to fill them.

"So," Kimiko said to Clay. "What did you guys do this evening?"

"Well we found ourselves a ramen place and had dinner there. Can't say I've ever eaten the stuff before but it was pretty darn good," Clay replied.

"Mmm," Kimiko smiled. "It's been a while since I've had some good ramen, though I occasionally have the instant kind at school. So not the same though."

"I can imagine."

Soon after the drinks came and everyone started chatting and joking around. Kimiko was glad to have the casual air of friends around her. She was tired of the stuffy rules of home, especially with this whole engagement matter hanging over her head. With the good time she was having catching up with everyone, she almost forgot all about it.

Jack meanwhile, had been tense since the moment Kimiko had entered the bar. Dinner with Omi and the rest hadn't been so bad, aside from Raimundo glaring daggers at him the whole time. However, from the state he had left Kimiko in, he had half expected her to barrel in and punch him in the face. Thankfully that was not the case. She looked angry and had ignored him from the moment she and Keiko had arrived, but at least there was no bodily damage involved. He may have been sitting right next to her, but honestly he felt pretty far away thanks to the front she was putting up. Seeing that he had no other choice, Jack kept his attention on Omi who sat on his left. He was still teetering, holding on tightly to the counter. It was rather amusing to watch the monk intoxicated, and even more amusing to talk with him.

"So Opi, how many years has it been since we last saw each other?" he asked.

"42."

"Right. And hold old does that make you now?"

"42."

"Uh huh, and the answer to life, the universe and everything is…?"

"Chicken!"

With that Omi burst out laughing, almost falling off the stool. Jack reached out and held him up, laughing a bit himself. The sudden outburst caught Clay's attention so he leaned back to observe what was going on.

"Well, looks like I better be getting Omi here back to the hotel before laughs himself to the floor."

He put down some money for his drink, and some for Omi's as well, then steadied Omi before her got of his own stool.

"We'll see you guys later," Clay said, tipping his hat to Jack and Kimiko before helping Omi out of the bar.

Jack watched them go, a grin on his face. The afternoon had been pretty miserable, but the evening had turned out not so bad. All in all he had had a pretty good time, considering the circumstances. When the two were gone, Jack turned his attention back to the counter and was presented with two surprises.

First of all, Raimundo and Keiko were gone already. Apparently at some point in the evening they had slipped away.

Second, Kimiko's head was resting down on the bar's counter, surrounded by quite a few shot glasses.

Jack reached out and nudged Kimiko's shoulder. She groaned a bit and shifted, but did not lift her head.

"Hey, Kimiko, you okay there?" he asked hesitantly.

"Mmm," Kimiko murmured. The murmur tailed off into a giggle and soon she was laughing hysterically, much like Omi had been a moment ago. Finally she raised her head, still laughing.

"Might I ask what's so funny?" Jack asked, both shocked and amused by this turn of events.

"Everything silly!" Kimiko giggled, her laughter dying down somewhat. "Us! Can you believe they want us to get married! It's so…silly!"

"Yeah, silly," Jack said listlessly as she put some cash down for their drinks. "Come on, let's get you home."

"Okay!" Kimiko agreed eagerly and leapt to her feet. However, being far less coordinated than she usually would be, her legs buckled beneath her and she went crashing towards Jack. Jack managed to catch her before they both tumbled over and oddly enough, she didn't push him away. Instead her giggles started up again and she leaned against him for balance.

"Um, do you think you can walk?" Jack asked, his cheeks now tinted pink.

"Ah…maybe?" Kimiko said and attempted to step away from Jack. Her maybe equaled a no as she fell to the ground.

"Alright then," Jack sighed. He bent down and pulled Kimiko up. He then lifted her up so he could carry her over his back. He tucked his arms around her legs and instructed her to hold on to his shoulders. The whole while he desperately wished she didn't come to her senses or remember this in the morning. Having secured her, Jack made his way out of the bar and he thanked God that they weren't that far from the Tohomikos' home.

For the most part Kimiko was quiet during the walk; aside from giggled and other such noises. However as the Tohomiko mansion came into sight she decided to sound slightly coherent.

"Hey Spicer," she said over Jack's shoulder, her breath on his cheek.

"Y-yes?" he stuttered, fearing she'd realized what was going on.

"Sorry bout today," she slurred.

"What?" Jack asked, more shocked than ever.

"I said sorry idiot," she grumbled. "I was acting stupid. Just mad at my parents."

"It's okay Kimiko," Jack replied, shrugging as much as he could while carrying her.

"Aren't you mad?" she asked, now resting her head on his shoulder.

"Nah, not really," he replied. He figured he might as well be somewhat honest since Kimiko was being more honest than she ever would be sober. "I didn't mind that it was you."

"You didn't?" Kimiko asked, sounding surprised, her head lifting again.

"Nope, I could do a lot worse," Jack chuckled. "You're a lot smarter than some of the girls I've met.

He paused.

"…Prettier too."

"Huh?" Kimiko said, sounding half asleep.

"Nothing. We're almost there."

"Hm? Mkay…" Kimiko's voice trailed off and her head rested back on Jack's shoulder. Her breathing became shallow and she stopped squirming as much as she had been.

"Kimiko?" Jack asked. She only gave a sleepy sigh in reply.

Jack sighed. He had no idea what he was going to do with her, but he knew, he really wanted this to work.


	5. I'm Your Little Butterfly

The Art of Courtship

The Art of Courtship

Chapter Five

Bellaluna

Disclaimer: I don't own Xiaolin Showdown or its characters. This fanfic is my idea, so please don't copy or steal it.

Author's Notes: So! Long time no update hm? It really is a big failure on my part and I apologize. I am trying to get them faster…but that's not working out quite so well. I'm glad you guys are sticking around anyways! I really appreciate it. So, without further ado, Chapter Five!!

Chapter Five

Kimiko groaned and winced as sunlight poured into her bedroom. A foggy vision of Keiko entering the bedroom and opening the curtain closest to the bed came to her barely opened eyes. Turning, Kimiko buried her face into her pillow, in hopes that it might help the pounding ache in her head.

"Good morning sleepy head!" she heard Keiko say as she continued to open the rest of the curtains in the room. "Or should I say good afternoon? It is almost twelve thirty after all."

"You are so very,very evil," Kimiko muttered into the pillow.

"Sorry dear, I can't hear you down there," Keiko teased. "Why don't you come on out?"

Most reluctantly, Kimiko turned back around, her eyes squinted, practically closed. As her eyes slowly adjusted she could just make out Keiko standing next to the bed now with a tray in her hands. On the tray was some toast and a cup of coffee. Without a word Kimiko reached out and grabbed the coffee and began to greedily sip down the hot, brown liquid.

"Yeah, I figured you could use that after last night," Keiko laughed. "What on earth happened anyways? I haven't seen you get drunk like that since that one time freshman year."

"I don't know," Kimiko replied, surprised at how hoarse her voice sounded. "I don't think I was paying attention. I was just stressing over everything. My mind was someplace else."

She paused.

"What happened anyways?"

"You don't remember?" Keiko asked.

"No," Kimiko replied reluctantly. "Was it bad?"

"I can't really say."

"Why?"

"Well…I wasn't exactly there," Keiko admitted.

"Oh?" Kimiko said, raising her eyebrows, much to the painful protest of her head.

"Yeah. Raimundo and I snuck off for a bit," Keiko explained, blushing as she did so. "He dropped me off just after you got home."

Kimiko moaned, afraid to ask the question that was now on her mind. Half of her didn't want to know, but she supposed she needed to.

"How did I get home?"

"Jack carried you," Keiko told her.

Kimiko winced. That's what she had been afraid of.

"You were a bit on the wobbly side and he piggybacked you the whole way. Who knew that scrawny guy was so strong?"

"He didn't used to be," Kimiko muttered, starring down at the remaining coffee in her cup. Another thought came to her mind and she gasped and looked down at herself. She was wearing a pair of panda pajamas. Her head immediately shot up and she starred in horror at Keiko.

"I did it idiot," Keiko replied and rolled her eyes. "Jack carried you up here, set you down on the bed and waited out in the hall until I came home. Don't freak out on him okay?"

Kimiko didn't say anything in reply. She didn't remember anything after her second or so drink and she wasn't about the trust her drunken self alone with Jack, but she had to take Keiko's word as truth. She was her best friend after all.

"Well," Keiko said with a sigh and patted Kimiko's knee. "I'm going to get some lunch downstairs. Why don't you get dressed and come down to greet the day hm?"

"Yeah, yeah," Kimiko said, smirking just a bit.

"Good," Keiko smiled and jumped to her feet, leaving the tray with toast on the bed. Then she hurried out of the room, leaving Kimiko alone with her thoughts and her headache.

After finishing up her coffee and a few bites of toast, Kimiko lurched out of bed and slumped over to her closest where she picked out and outfit to change into. While changing and cleaning up in the bathroom she strained to remember anything from the previous night. A foggy conversation with Jack came to mind, but she couldn't think of what had been said. She prayed extra hard that morning that she didn't do anything stupid. Facing Jack was hard enough without having had some kind of drunken conversation with him.

She managed to scrape up some courage after changing and made her way down stairs. Her head was still throbbing, but she refused to let that show. She'd found one of her favorite, nicest outfits and did her hair up in two small buns atop her head and made sure her makeup looked perfect. She was sure her look right then would make up for any mistakes she made the night before.

As she descended down the stairs she began to regret it as a shrill scream echoed throughout the house. The scream rang through her head, making it feel like it was going to explode. She reached out and braced the railing for balance.

"I. WANT. JACK!!"

Stumbling the rest of the way down the stairs Kimiko made her way to the entrance hall which seemed to be the source of the racket. When she got there she saw one of the maids attempting, and failing, to turn away a rather angry looking girl with curly blond hair. The girl stood firm at the door while she continued to scream for Jack, her face turning redder by the second.

Kimiko stood back for a moment, examining the girl. She looked familiar, but she couldn't seem to place her. She was probably in high school which immediately set Kimiko to wondering what a high schooler would want with Jack. She was persistent though so she figured she might as well go deal with her and give the poor maid a reprieve. Her head was still throbbing and she'd much rather go to the quiet dining hall, but the sooner the girl's screaming stopped, the sooner her headache would ease off.

"Excuse me," Kimiko said rather loudly as she reached the bottom of the stairs and walked over to the entrance. "Just what is all the yelling about?"

"I WANT TO SEE JACK!" the girl screamed once more. Meanwhile the maid next to Kimiko looked like she was about to drop down, crying. Kimiko sighed and excused the maid who ran off without a second thought.

"Alight then," Kimiko said turning back to the girl. "You can cut out the hysterics. I highly doubt Spicer is worth this much screaming. Who are you anyways?"

"Megan Spicer, duh," the girl said, sticking out her tongue at Kimiko.

"Megan…Spicer?" Kimiko paused, staring at the girl. "Wait, you mean that bratty cousin that Spicer brought to the showdown that one time?"

Megan didn't seem to take much offense to being called bratty as an evil grin, which Kimiko thought must have been a genetic trait for the Spicers, slid on to her face.

"Ah, and you must be Kimiko, Jack's cutiepie. Am I right?"

"I am _nobody's _cutiepie," Kimiko grimaced. "Least of all Jack's."

"But you are Kimiko right?" Megan asked, looking slightly less evil. "I have the right place?"

"Yeah, but what are you doing here?"

"I was bored."

"So you flew all the way to Japan to see your cousin because you were _bored_?"

"Well Jack is the most entertaining thing I've ever seen."

"True," Kimiko smirked, nodding. She was beginning to like this girl. "Well I'm not sure where the spaz is right now, but if you join me for lunch he's bound to show up eventually."

"Sounds good," Megan agreed excitedly. "I haven't eaten real food since I left."

Kimiko had Megan leave her luggage in the hall and informed a passing maid to put them away in one of the guest rooms, then led her new guest to the dining room. When they got there Keiko was already there so Kimiko made the proper introductions and soon enough they were eating and sharing embarrassing stories about Jack.

About halfway through Megan's tale of Jack's wardrobe malfunction at a fancy dress party, Jack himself entered the dining hall. With one look at the new addition in the household Jack froze in the doorway as a look of horror came over him.

"Oh dear God, I've finally entered hell haven't I?" he whimpered.

"Oh please," Megan said, rolling her eyes. "If you ever made it to hell they'd kick you out for being such a pansy."

Jack frowned while the girls giggled over Megan's comment, and took his seat between Keiko and Megan. "I am not a pansy," he grumbled under his breath.

"Oh course you aren't Jackie dear," Megan laughed and took a bite of the sandwich that had been brought in for her.

"What are you doing here anyways Megan?" Jack demanded. "Come to torment me?"

"I'm hurt Jack," Megan made a fake sniffle. "I came all this way to be with my dearest cousin in this most important time in his life and all he does is accuse me of making trouble."

"I'll take that as a yes then," Jack grumbled before ordering his own lunch with the nearest servant. "And how long will you be staying?"

"For as long as she likes," Kimiko replied in place of Megan. "She's my new favorite guest."

"She would be," Jack grumbled.

There was a silence for a moment, but then Megan began asking about Japan and what there was to see. Kimiko gladly began to talk up her home country and her favorite things to do around the city. After last evening's events she was more than happy to have a distraction like Megan around.

As she gave Megan a detailed description of her favorite arcade in town Kimiko heard something she would never hear in her lifetime.

"Are you feeling alright this morning?"

Kimiko stared wide-eyed across the table at Jack who had poised the question to her. He however stared down at his empty place sitting with the slighting hint of blush on his cheeks. His eyes were furrowed as if her were wondering if her really should have been asking her that question. Kimiko couldn't believe her ears or eyes. Was Jack actually concerned about her? No. She told herself that wasn't possible. It certainly had to be one of his tricks to have her let her guard down.

But hadn't she already done that last night? Why hadn't he struck then?

"I'm…fine," she managed to make a reply. "My head hurts a bit, but it's getting better."

"Good," Jack replied, still not looking up.

"Oh, now I _must _know what happened last night," Megan said, leaning in and curiously darting her eyes between Jack and Kimiko. "Some torrid affair with many passionate kisses?"

"NO!" Kimiko and Jack both shouted and turned beat read as she glared at the blond who only grinned in response.

"As if," Kimiko frowned and crossed her arms in front of her chest. She sunk down deeper into her chair and stared intently at the silverware at her setting. "Like I'd ever want to kiss _him._"

"Exactly," Jack frowned, practically mimicking Kimiko's own retreat actions in his own chair.

"I just got a little…intoxicated last night," Kimiko replied, trying to explain in a way that she wouldn't seem like a total idiot.

"I see," Megan nodded, and said nothing more on the topic, though her expression alone said a thousand words.

"So!" Keiko exclaimed, breaking the awkward silence, and making Kimiko hold her aching head. "What are we doing today?"

"I don't know," Kimiko grumbled as she drank from her second cup of coffee for the morning. "I didn't really have anything planned."

"Hm, well I told Raimundo to tell the boys to be here around one," Keiko informed the table.

"Oh joy," Jack said with a roll of his eyes, which prompted Keiko to quickly throw a roll at his head. Jack surprisingly was able to snatch the roll in midair before it reached its desired impact and set it down on his plate for buttering. "Why thank you Keiko, that was very thoughtful of you."

Keiko gave a little amused snort in response and then went back to her own meal. After a few more bites a look of sheer epiphany came over her face. With a great big grin on her face she looked over and Kimiko.

"I know what we can do!" she announced.

"Care to enlighten us then?" Kimiko wondered.

"Why don't we take them down to the arcade? I haven't kicked your butt in Goo Zombies Tournament in a long time."

"Well Keiko dear, that would be because you were never able to kick my butt in any video games in the first place."

"Those sound like fighting words to me, Keiko," Megan grinned.

"Sure does, Megan," Keiko grinned right back. "I guess we'll just have to settle this argument over at the arcade."

"Bring it on," Kimiko replied, and laughed her first real laugh since the whole Jack fiasco had started. Well, not including the drunken laughter that she couldn't remember from the night before.

Once it was decided that the arcade would be their destination, everyone finished up lunch and awaited the arrival of Raimundo, Omi and Clay. As soon as the three arrived they were informed of the plans that had been made and the whole group headed out for the arcade where Kimiko and Keiko had spent many hours spending a good chunk of change in their life so far.

As they walked past the arcade's automatic doors they were surrounded by a cloud of noise. There were children screaming, games blaring at top volume with lights flashing in every direction and change jingling in every pocket. Kimiko, who had been expecting this, took some medicine for her head and plugged her ears for a few minutes as they entered so they she might adjust a little more easily. On the other hand, Omi, who had been practically dragged out of bed that morning by Raimundo and Clay hadn't been properly informed of what the atmosphere of an arcade might be like and was thus throttled by the onslaught of noise.

"What is this racket!?" he exclaimed as he held his hands to his head. "Is some poor animal dying perhaps?"

"Nope," Kimiko shouted so she could be heard above the noise. "That's just the games."

"These games do not sound like very much fun," Omi frowned.

"Nah, you just need to play one first," Keiko assured him. "You'll get used to it."

"Oh don't tell me," Megan snickered. "He got a little 'intoxicated' last night too."

"And with just one drink if you can believe that," Raimundo said, patting Omi sharply on the back, causing him to wince.

"I was not aware alcohol would have such an affect," Omi explained, blushing just a bit.

"Aw, he's blushing!" Megan squealed, pointing at Omi's red cheeks. "He's adorable!" Of course this only caused Omi to blush even more, not to mention Jack to groan and bury his face in one of his gloved hands.

"Come on Omi," Keiko intervened. "You just need to try a game or two and you'll be fine. I'll play with you before I take down Kimiko," she said as she began to drag a very flustered Omi away.

"Oh you wish," Kimiko retorted with confidence while Keiko laughed and continued to tow Omi away with Megan and Raimundo tagging along.

"Hey, let me know when the big showdown's gonna start," Clay told Kimiko, tipping his hat slightly. "There's a crane game over there that's got my name on it."

"Sure thing Clay," Kimiko nodded and smiled. Though the smile quickly faded when she realized she had been left alone with Jack…again. She sighed heavily and peered over at him. She had thought things over early and since Jack had apparently been rather chivalrous last night she decided she should at least tolerate him until their two weeks together were up. When she looked up she saw that Jack was doing everything but looking in her direction, apparently trying not to offend her. Kimiko held back a laugh and straightened up.

"Do you…want to play something?" she managed to ask. Jack jerked his head to look back in her direction, obviously taken by surprised thanks to her newly posed question. His mouth hung open and his eyes were wide with shock. Kimiko hadn't thought it'd be that big of a deal, but it seemed Jack found is as quite a shock. Kimiko didn't say anything while she waited for a response to him. He managed to come up with one after a while. He straightened out his expression and shrugged, trying to play cool.

"Sure, I guess so."

Kimiko hid a smirk by turning around and heading into the rows and rows of video games. She heard Jack follow behind and was glad he kept a good distance between them. She shifted her eyes from left to right trying to find a game she'd be interested in playing, and of course a game that she could easily beat Jack in. She didn't intend to get shown up by him. And then the perfect game came into her sight.

"There!" she pointed ahead to game machine with bright fluorescent arrows flashing on the screen. "How about Dance Dance Revolution?" she asked, looking over her shoulder at Jack. She expected to see a look of panic on his face but he seemed calm enough.

"Sure," he shrugged again as they reached the game.

"Think you can handle it?" Kimiko teased as she hopped up on to the dance pad and threw some change into the machine.

"Yeah, I think so," Jack said as he stepped up and tossed his coat over the support rail.

Kimiko felt a small moment of panic as she music choice popped up on the screen before them. Jack seemed just a bit too calm; confident even. But Jack was a total klutz. There's no way he could pull of DDR moves, especially if she put in expert mode; which she did.

Once all the settings were picked, the screen went into game mode and the fast paced techno song began to blare from the speakers. Arrow after arrow began to fly up to screen and Kimiko stepped with ease with each and every one of them on the dance pad. She grinned broadly. It had been a while since she had taken a turn at DDR but she was pleased to see she hadn't lost any of her skills. In fact she was playing at her best as the adrenaline flowed through her. It was only when the song was about half over that Kimiko even glanced over at Jack for a second, but in that second she couldn't believe her eyes. Jack was doing just as well, if not better than she was. He was even pulling of a spin or jump every now and then, clearly showing off. Kimiko frowned and glued her attention back to her own side, but she could already feel her confidence dropping. She couldn't stop wondering just where Jack and suddenly gotten all these skills. He'd put up a fight that first night at the ball and waltz like and expert. And then if what Keiko had told her was true he'd carried her home all the way from the bar. What had happened to the wimpy geek who had sent his robots out to do all the hard work? She wasn't used to the capable, talented even, version of Jack. It gave her the creeps that he had changed that much.

And that wasn't exactly helping her own dance skills. After looking over at Jack she lost a few steps and had to stop to catch up again, putting her way behind him, which only got her angry. No way was she going to let him win that easily. The natural competitive nature in Kimiko awoke and she danced harder than she'd ever danced before, even trying a few special moves like Jack had.

Soon the thumping of the loud music began to fade and the final arrows flew up both sides of the screen and both Kimiko and Jack landed them with perfect timing. The screen faded into the score board while they both fell back against the support rail, breathing heavily and wiping away the sweat that had formed on their faces. Suddenly all around them there was a roar of applause and cheers. Kimiko wheeled around and saw that a large crowd had formed around the DDR machine while they had been competing. She blushed and waved a bit, noticing that Raimundo, Clay, Omi, Megan and Keiko were all in the crowd.

"That was awesome you guys," Keiko squealed as she pushed her way to the front of the crowd. "I don't think I've ever seen you place such and intense game of DDR Kimi!"

"Yeah, well," Kimiko said, taking Jack's route and just shrugging a response.

"So who won," Megan called from the back.

Reminded of her competitive urge, Kimiko jerked back to look at the screen where in bright bold letters it announced that she and Jack had…

"A tie!" several of the crowd members shouted.

That alone put Kimiko into a bit of a shock. They'd tied? Kimiko didn't like ties. And ties with Jack? Well that just shouldn't happen.

"A rematch I want a…" Kimiko said, looking up at Jack, her voice breathless as she was still trying to get back her energy.

"Are you sure?" Jack asked, his own voice lacking air. "You look tired."

"Hah," Kimiko laughed. "I wouldn't talk if I were you. Afraid?"

"Not a chance," Jack replied quickly.

"Now, now you two," Keiko interrupted the bubbling argument between the two of them and pulled Kimiko down off of the dance pad. "You owe me a game too, remember?"

"Ah, right," Kimiko nodded, suddenly snapping back to normal, her competitiveness dissipating. "Sorry about that."

"No worries," Keiko smiled and jabbed Kimiko lightly with her shoulder. "Just promise you'll put that much energy into fighting me in Goo Zombies."

"You've got it," Kimiko promised and let Keiko lead the way, away from Jack and the DDR machine.

--

After several more hours of migraine inducing video games the gang grouped up once again and headed back to the Tohomikos' for dinner. All the while they chatting about their individual wins and losses and tried to ignore their rumbling stomachs. Kimiko's head was still feeling a bit foggy but she was feeling much better than when she had that morning, and not just because her hangover was wearing off, but because she had had such a good time with everyone, even if everyone included Jack.

They all spilled into the dining hall still laughing and talking and found Mr. and Mrs. Tohomiko seated at the head of the table. The talking quieted down as they greeted Kimiko's parents who gave them all pleased smiles and asked them to join them at the table. As soon as they had entered the dining room, Kimiko's good feelings disappeared. She knew the look her parents had one their faces. They had an announcement to make, and after their last couple of announcements, she didn't think she wanted to hear this one.

When everyone was settled with their own meals, Mr. Tohomiko cleared his throat and looked over the table, directly at Kimiko.

"Kimiko dear," he said.

"Yes father?" Kimiko replied hesitantly.

"I have a favor to ask of you," he began. "It seems that the hostess at our hot springs in Kyoto has taken ill. She told us she would have her daughter take care of things while she is recovering, but I think it would be a good opportunity for you if you took care of things for a while."

"W-what?" Kimiko stuttered. She had been training for sometime for taking care of the different businesses that the Tohomiko family owned, but she had never been asked to run one of them by herself. A trickled of self doubt began to form within her. "Father are you sure that is…?"

"Quite sure Kimiko," he nodded calmly. "I have much confidence in your skills, and you need to start real life training sooner or later. I've already arranged travel to Kyoto for you and all of your guests. You'll be spending the rest of the week there as the stand in hostess."

"Y-yes father," Kimiko nodded, and said nothing more. Her father had made a decision and she new better than to argue on his decisions for too long. She went back to eating her salad and silently worried about the job that had just been thrown into her lap. All the while excited whispers bubbled up from the rest of the people sitting at the table. They clearly weren't as worried about the hot springs as she was. So consumed with her worry, she didn't even notice Jack giving her a concerned look from across the table.


	6. Incompatible, It Don't Matter Though

The Art of Courtship

Chapter Six

By Bellaluna

Disclaimer: I don't own Xiaolin Showdown or its characters. The idea for the fanfic is mine, so please don't copy or steal it. Thanks!

Author's Notes: And here we go with the new chapter! I've been looking forward to writing this chapter for a while now! So shall we see how Kimiko, Jack and the other fair at the hotsprings?

Chapter Six

From across the table, Jack watched as Kimiko quietly picked at her dinner. He noticed she had barely had two bites and hadn't said anything since her parents had made their announcement about the hot springs in Kyoto. Initially he thought she'd be excited about such a job, but if her pale face and lacking appetite indicated anything then it seemed she certainly wasn't excited. Eventually she stood up from her seat and excused herself while everyone was still busy eating.

Jack hurried to finish up what was on his plate, and then excused himself as well. Without much thought, he made his way to Kimiko's bedroom. Briefly he thought back on the previous night and how he had carried the passed-out Kimiko to her room. His face flushed for a moment, but he quickly shook away the memory of how pretty she had looked when he'd placed her on her bed last night.

When Jack reached the bedroom door, which was closed, he cleared his throat before hesitantly knocking.

"Who is it?"

"It's…Jack."

He half expected her to throw a pillow or something at the door and have that be the end of it, but surprisingly her heard her soft footfalls as she approached the door. She opened it just enough for him to see her face, which was frowning.

"What do you want?"

"I just wanted to…see if you were okay?"

"I'm fine."

"Yeah, because you totally looked fine when you only had three bites of your dinner."

She looked a little shocked for a moment, but quickly put the frown back on her face.

"I wasn't hungry," she shrugged.

"You are such a liar!" Jack smirked.

"Shut up."

"Look, you're worried. I get it. What's the big deal about running the hot springs?"

"I am not worried."

Jack didn't say anything, but just stared at Kimiko with a look of disbelief.

"I'm not!" Kimiko snapped.

"Uh-huh."

Kimiko stubbornly stared right back at him, her frown still pasted on her lips, though it was beginning to fade.

"Oh fine!" she muttered and tore her eyes away from him. "Maybe I'm a _little _nervous."

"A little?"

"Well I've never been left in charge of anything by my parents, even if it is just one of out resorts!" she snapped. "What were they thinking, just throwing this at me?"

"Might I remind you that these are the same parents who have you engaged to me?"

"Good point," Kimiko nodded. "They've clearly gone off the deep end."

Ouch.

At that point Jack wanted to turn around and walk away. Kimiko clearly didn't want him around and he really couldn't blame her. But if he wanted to get close to her, he knew he'd just have to take it slow; one step at a time. Forgiveness didn't come easily, and he'd certainly cause her a lot of trouble which wouldn't make things any easier.

"You know," he said, after deciding not to make an immediate retreat. "I'm sure you'll do fine. If you can save the world, I'll bet you can run a hot spring."

"I really don't think the two are related, Jack," Kimiko said with a frown.

"Not really," Jack said with a shrug. "I mean, you and the other three, you planned out your attacks and stuff right?"

"Yeah,"

"Then that's all you have to do with the hot spring. Make your plans and follow through with them. If you know what needs to be done and how you'll do it, then you'll be fine."

Then silence filled the air between them. Kimiko was looking down at the floor, hopefully thinking over what he had said.

"I guess that kind of makes sense," she finally spoke, in a soft voice.

"Are you okay then?" Jack asked as he tried to recover from the fact that she wasn't just laughing in his face at the moment.

"Better anyways," she replied, looking up at him once more. "Thanks."

"Hey, don't go thanking me," Jack laughed nervously. "I just might get the feeling you don't hate me anymore. Just get some sleep okay?"

"Yeah," she said, and began to close the door. "Night," she muttered.

Jack stepped back to leave, but couldn't take his eyes off of Kimiko's face and the odd expression it now held. He couldn't even describe how she looked. Confused? Pained? Angry? He couldn't tell. He shrugged and turned away after the door closed completely. It was probably nothing anyways.

---

The next day everyone woke up bright and early to take the Tohomiko's private jet over to one of the other islands where the hot springs resort was located. Right away Raimundo and Keiko settled into seats next to each other, while Clay and Omi took the two directly behind them. Kimiko sat down in one of the two that faced Keiko and Raimundo, leaving an empty seat next to her. Spotting the opportunity, Jack stepped forward to the empty seat beside her. Before he had a chance to take the seat, Kimiko raised her leg and let it rest on the empty seat.

"Sorry, this seat is reserved," she spoke calmly, looking Jack straight in the eyes.

"For who?"Jack sputtered, quite surprised by this.

"For me!" Megan cheered as she bounded over from the plane entrance.

"What? You're coming too?" Jack shouted, nearly dropping his carry on bag to the floor.

"Of course she is," Kimiko answered as she brought her foot back down to allow Megan to sit down.

"Kimiko invited me last night," Megan smiled as she all too politely sat down.

"You may sit over here Jack Spicer!"Omi called from his own seat as he looked over the back of Raimundo's seat.

"Yep, there's a nice open seat right here for you partner," Clay agreed, patting the seat across from him.

"Yeah fine," Jack grumbled and dragged himself and his bag over to the other side of the plane and sat down.

With everyone settled in the engine of the plane began to rumble as it went into motion. Everyone buckled up and waited for lift off.

"So Jack, what music is it that you get jiggled with?"Omi asked, looking at him intently.

Jack sighed. It was going to be a long plane ride.

---

After what seemed like eternity to Jack, the plane finally landed. After it had come to a stop, Jack hurried out, cutting off his riveting discussion about Pochi with Omi, claiming a need for fresh air. Taking a deep breath of relief he stepped down the provided stairs down to the hard, black pavement.

He didn't mind Omi. He'd never really admit it, but Jack even liked the guy, but spending an hour or two on a flight with him jabbering on about a video game character the whole time was a bit exhausting.

"I see you managed to survive."

Someone patted him on the shoulder, jerking him back to reality. And surprisingly enough it was Kimiko. She had a smirk on her face. Just by looking at her Jack could tell she had spent to majority of the flight watching his pain as he nodded and 'uh-huh'd his way through the conversation with Omi. And he was guessing she'd enjoyed every moment of it.

"Miraculously," he replied, trying to sound like it hadn't bothered him that much, but he was sure he'd already failed there. "You're looking more energetic today."

Kimiko frowned a bit and looked away. "Yeah, well I had a good night's sleep and everything."

"Uh huh."

"Oh shut up," she grumbled, giving him a punch on the arm. With a huff she sped jerked around and went to join Keiko behind him.

After walking a bit further they found a car waiting to take them all to the resort so they all piled in with similar seating arrangement from in the plane. Of course Jack was very thankful that this trip was much faster, as they were at the resort in a matter of minutes.

After everyone was out of the car and the luggage was in the hands of the resort staff Kimiko led the way inside through the main entrance.

"I'll show you all to your rooms so you can get settled and then I'll have to get acquainted with the staff and get things running again," she informed them all as she removed her shoes, motioning for them to do so as well.

"Aw, you don't get to relax at all?" Keiko whined.

"Maybe a little later," Kimiko sighed. "For now I need to get used to the way things work."

When they had all followed Kimiko's shoe removal lead, they shuffled along the narrow corridors lined with rooms closed off by shut paper doors. Everything seemed quiet, but that was to be expected, seeing as the resort had been closed for the past two days.

Kimiko came to an abrupt start and slid open one of the doors. "Keiko, you Megan and I will be staying in this room," she said, pointing inside. "You two get settled. Your luggage will be in soon."

"Okay," Megan said, still frowning just a bit. "We'll save the best mat for you."

"Mat?" Megan squealed as both girls disappeared into the room together. "Please don't tell me we're sleeping on _mats_."

Jack sighed and rested his forehead against the palm of his hand. His cousin could really be an idiot sometimes.

Thankfully, Kimiko moved on to the next room and once again slid open the door.

"Okay, the four of you will be sharing this room," she said, looking back at all four of the guys.

"Seriously Kimiko?" Raimundo frowned. "You're going to make us share a room with Spicer?"

"Yes I am," Kimiko replied sternly. "There are too many guests coming to give you separate rooms. You're a big boy. I'm sure you'll be able to handle it."

From behind, Jack heard Omi and Clay hold back a laugh, which made him smirk just a bit.

"Come on Pedrosa," Jack said, with the smirk remaining on his face as he passed by Raimundo and went into the room. "We can share mats and everything like real best friends."

"As if Spicer," Raimundo shouted as he followed him in.

"Darn, and here I thought we'd have a real bonding experience."

"What a great idea Jack! We shall become loose!" Omi cheered as he and Clay entered.

"That's tight there Omi," Clay corrected him.

"Tight. I see," Omi nodded wisely.

"Right," Kimiko said from the doorway. "Well just don't kill each other okay? I don't want to clean up the mess."

"Don't you worry none, Kimiko. I'll make sure everyone behaves proper like."

"Thanks Clay," she said with a weak smile and closed the door.

As he inwardly laughed at Raimundo's flustered reaction, Jack picked one of the empty mats rolled out on the floor and sat down. He stretched a bit, feeling suddenly tired, but he didn't plan to stay settled for too long. He hadn't said anything to Kimiko last night, mainly because he hadn't thought of it until he had gotten back to his room, but he was planning on helping her run things. She'd probably refuse his help but he wasn't exactly good at 'relaxing' so he'd have that as an excuse. He knew she was nervous enough to take his help if he kept pestering about it.

So when Clay, Raimundo and Omi had settled down, he excused himself and headed off in the direction he thought he had heard Kimiko go. He got a bit lost, but soon enough he found Kimiko in one of the staff rooms, dressed in a kimono and kneeling on the floor. An older woman knelt across from her and was instructing her on proper greetings and courtesy towards guests.

Kimiko gasped, looking up. "Jack what are you doing here? Go back to your room."

"Nah," Jack replied calmly. "I should have told you Kimiko. I don't really do vacations. I'd rather be put to work."

"Jack we don't need your help."

"And might I remind you, for at least these next two weeks I _am _your fiancé and as such I should be learning to help and support you should I not?"

Kimiko's face was bright red with anger and Jack knew she was ready to explode at any moment, but she was cut off by the other woman.

"My, how very gallant of you Mr. Spicer," she beamed. "If that is the case then we could most certainly use the help."

"Sure," Jack nodded. "Just tell me what to do."

"First you'll need to change. Go into the back room and explain to Yuri and Ami what's going on and they'll give you the proper attire."

Jack did just that, and moments later emerged from the back room in his own kimono. After a lesson on the proper posture he should have when kneeling, which he found to be rather painful, more so than he expected, the women who he was to call Mrs. Sanban continued with the lessons she had been refreshing Kimiko on.

When they were finished Kimiko, frowning, stood up and left the room without saying a word to Jack. He scrambled to follow after her, but wound up falling flat on his face, since his legs had completely fallen asleep. He heard Kimiko sighed and turn around.

"Why are you trying to help?" she asked with a frustrated tone as she kneeled down to help him up.

"I told you I don't do vacations," he repeated his excuse from earlier. "Besides, don't tell me you weren't the least bit relieved that I offered to help."

He couldn't tell for sure but he could have sworn she was blushing. "Not at all," she replied stubbornly. As soon as Jack was on his own two feet she let him go and continued on her way. "Dinner should be ready in about an hour. Feel free to go enjoy the baths until then."

She sped up her pace, though Jack followed fairly well, considering how his legs felt like jello. She side stepped and entered her room without saying another word to him.

Sighing, Jack admitted defeat for the moment and returned to the other room where Raimundo, Omi and Clay were all wearing their own kimonos.

"Hey there Jack," Clay greeted him. "We were just heading off to the baths. You coming?"

"Sure," Jack agreed. "We are, well we are wearing bathing suits right?"

"Duh," Raimundo said with a roll of his eyes. "No one here wants to see your naked butt."

"And here I thought you'd be the first in line," Jack teased once more, causing Raimundo to go red out of both anger and embarrassment.

"Spicer I swear,"

"Hey there," Clay said grabbing Raimundo's shoulder and turning him towards the direction of the door. "I'm supposed to stop you from killing anyone remember?"

"We'll meet you at the baths Jack," Omi said as he followed the other two out of the room.

Jack changed quickly and headed out to the baths. When he reached them he entered into the male side of bath and took off his kimono, leaving him only in her swimming trunks, black of course. He stepped outside and the steam instantly enveloped him, which relaxed his aching muscles almost immediately. Clay, Omi and Raimundo were already in the water, so he stepped down to join them, slowing sinking down into the hot water.

He sighed and moved to rest against the rocks surrounding the bath.

"Nice isn't it?" Clay

"Sure is," Jack nodded. "I can't even tell I was kneeling for half of the day."

"What were you doing anyways?" Raimundo asked.

"Just helping Kimiko out with some stuff. I am her fiancé after all."

"You are _not _her fiancé," Raimundo snapped, looking angrier than ever. "You're just the idiot her parents arranged her with. At the end of these two weeks you'll go back to your lab and she'll go back to her life. Don't think this arrangement means you're anything special to her."

"Rai," Clay began.

"Don't worry about it Clay," Jack said, trying to sound unaffected by Raimudno's little speech. He hated to admit it, but he was right. Every single word was the truth. "It's not like he's lying."

"See! He even admits it!" Raimundo shouted. "If you know that then why the hell are you putting her through this? Is this just your sick revenge or something."

"No."

"Then why!?"

"Because…"

Just then a bell rang somewhere off in the distance.

"That is the bell for dinner," Omi spoke up. "Let us go eat. We will discuss this later when we are all full and calm."

"No way. I want an answer."

"Now Rai," Clay said, backing up Omi. "We'll talk later. Right Jack?"

"Right," Jack agreed without putting much thought into it. He was just glad to escape the inquisition for the moment.

Giving a frustrated shout Raimundo got up and left the bath, with Clay and Omi following after, leaving Jack alone.

He sighed and sunk deeper into the water. He hadn't been expecting Raimundo to get so upset, but after thinking about it for a moment, it was only natural. They were good friends, and he suspected had been more than that for a time. He had every reason to get upset and to want to protect Kimiko.

"Jack?"

Shoot. Was that Kimiko's voice?

"Jack? Are you still over there?"

It was. She must have been on the other side of the baths.

"Yeah, I'm here," he finally replied.

"You know, I'd like an answer to Rai's question as well."

"And what question would that be?" Jack asked, trying to play at the innocent card. Though he was sure it wouldn't work.

"Why are you putting up with this? It's not like you really care about me. Why didn't you put up a fight?"

Jack was quiet for a moment, trying to think of the best way to reply. His first instinct was to lie. It would be better for them both if he didn't admit to having an interest in her. That would just pile up more awkward feelings for the rest of their time together, and they didn't need that. But it seemed his mouth didn't feel like cooperating with her brain that night.

"And what if I did care about you?" he asked, suddenly feeling rather light headed.

"What?" he heard Kimiko's voice gasp, though it seemed more distant than it ought to.

He tried to form a response, but he found it hard to concentrate on anything other than his now spinning head.

"Jack?" Kimiko's voice echoed off in the distance.

"Jack? Jack?" It repeated over and over.

And then everything went dark.


	7. I am so much better than before

The Art of Courtship

Chapter Seven

By Bellaluna

Disclaimer: I do not own Xiaolin Showdown or its characters. Please do not copy or steal this fanfiction.

Author's Note: Long time to write. As usual. Many apologies for that. I really appreciate everyone who has stuck around. I understand that it's a pain when updates are so spread apart, but it's really hard to find time to write down a whole chapter. So again, thank you so much for waiting around. I really do appreciate each and every one of your and all of your reviews. Thank you! And now on to the chapter…

Chapter Seven

"Jack?"

Only silence from the other side of the tall bamboo wall. Kimiko called out Jack's name again, but there was still no response. She stood up and stepped out of the hot, steaming water. The air instantly cooled her skin, causing her to grab a nearby towel and wrap it tightly around her body. As she did so she heard a heavy splash from the men's side of the bath.

"Oh he better not have!" Kimiko gasped and hurried out of the bath. She slipped on her kimono and rushed over to the men's side. She didn't want to go in, but she was panicking; panicking over Jack Spicer of all people. Silence and a splash. He had either fallen from trying to peep or he'd been stupid enough to pass out from the heat. He had better have been stupid or she was going to kill him.

She stopped at the cloth hanging over the doorway into the bath. "Jack? Are you still in there? Anybody?" she shouted inside. All she could hear inside was the bubbling of the water. Letting out a heavy sigh Kimiko closed her eyes tight and felt for the cloth. She pushed it aside and stepped into the men's baths. There were no initial shouts our cat calls. That was a good sign. Cautiously she pried one eye open and sure enough Jack was there, his head barely peeking out of the water. His eyes were shut and he was breathing heavily. Even his pale face was turning red from being overheated. Of course silently Kimiko thanked the heavens above that Jack had decided to wait a pair of swimming trunks into the bath. She sighed again and waded into the water, kimono and all, towards Jack. When she reached him she wrapped her arms around his waist, under his arms and dragged him out of the water. Surprisingly he was heavy than she remembered, though it certainly wasn't because of fat. As she pulled Jack out of the water, Kimiko couldn't help but notice all the muscles he had developed. He certainly wasn't a bodybuilder but he was well toned, just as well as Rai, if not better. She blushed, suddenly realizing what she was doing. She was checking out Jack Spicer. She shook her head and continued dragging Jack out of the bath.

Of course the thought was still lodged in her brain by the time she'd brought him back to his room. She laid him down on one of the bed mats and quickly tossed one of the sheets over him. With Jack's body properly covered Kimiko hurried to the kitchen and poured come ice into a plastic bag. A few of the staff members gave her an odd look as she hurried around, and she realized she was still dressed in only her soaked kimono. After returning to Jack and placing the bag of ice on his forehead she hurried back to her room and changed into her normal clothes. At that point she would have rather left Jack alone, but her conscience got the best of her and the returned to look after him.

He was still asleep underneath the sheet, but the ice back and rolled off his forehead. Kimiko sighed again and plopped down next to him on the floor. She grabbed the bag and placed it back on his head. When she did he made a small groaning noise, but then went back to breathing normally. His face was still pink, but it was much better than when she had first found him in the water.

As she sat next to him Kimiko found herself staring at Jack, though not thinking about his physical appearance anymore. Now she was thinking back to what she had overheard in the bath and what he had said to her.

"_And what if I did care about you?"_

She just didn't understand Jack. They were supposed to be enemies. Well, not really enemies anymore since the fight over the Shen Gong Wu had ended years ago, but they certainly didn't like each other. He was annoying, bothersome and had some really screwed up priorities. Though when Kimiko thought about it, Jack had been pretty helpful since the announcement of their engagement. And he hadn't made one mention of world domination or how good it was to be evil. Maybe he really had given it all up. But even if he had, why would he care about her. Even if he didn't care about taking over the world anymore, she, along with the guys had ruined his plans countless times. How many times had she heard him call them the Xiaolin Losers? He must have been kidding. Or maybe the heat had messed with his head. It was impossible that he would care about her at all. Nothing could change the fact that they complete opposites in every way who would never be able to get along.

After some time musing over the past couple of days and the years that had preceded them, Jack's eyes opened and he let out a weak groan. Kimiko blushed and tore her eyes away, trying to look at anything else but him. Fortunately it seemed he hadn't noticed her stare.

"You're awake," she said, trying to sound uninterested.

"What happened?" Jack asked as he reached for the bag of ice on his forehead. He pulled it off and slowly sat up, causing the sheet to slip down to his waist. Kimiko averted her eyes even more as this happened.

"You passed out. Too much heat from the bath," she explained.

"Oh."

Jack was quiet for a few minutes as he groggily looked around the room and rubbed his head. He turned and Kimiko could feel his gaze on her. "How'd I get out here?"

Kimiko paused, hesitant to answer.

"I brought you out."

"Oh really," he said, sounding far too pleased. "Did you like the show."

"Oh please," Kimiko snorted and punched Jack in the arm. "You mean the show of you passed out like some feeble coma patient?"

"Then why aren't you looking at me?"

"Shut up!" she snapped and jerked back to finally look at him. He was looking at her, with one of his usual, triumphant grins on his face; that grin she was supposed to hate, but at that moment all she could really think of was that it looked really good there. And with that grin, the mischievous look in his eyes, and his bare chest he looked, well, hot.

But of course she'd die before admitting something crazy like that. Maybe that was it. She was going crazy. Because thinking Jack Spicer was hot was something that would get anyone locked up in a padded jail cell with a nice tight jacket.

"I'm looking," she said, trying to match his grin. "But I don't see much."

"Ouch," Jack feigned a pained look and placed his hand on his chest. "That hurt."

"Good," she replied, proud of her recovery. She was not about to let Jack get the best of her. The rules may have changed over the years, but they were still playing the same game; always trying to show up the other. There were no more Shen Gong Wu to fight over, but the fight still went on. "In any case you seem to be feeling better. Right?"

"I guess. Pretty uncool of me huh?" Jack said with a sheepish chuckle.

"Yeah. Pretty uncool…"

Just outside the door Kimiko heard footsteps grow louder as they came down the outside hallway. They stopped just outside the room and the door slid open with a snap, revealing Omi. He looked concerned, and slightly out of breath. He had obviously run all the way from the main dining room.

"Ah! Kimiko, Jack, there you are! Dinner is growing cold!" he exclaimed, looking very relieved. "Are you not coming?"

"I am," Kimiko replied as she stood up. She was more than glad for Omi's interruption. "Jack will be staying here. He isn't feeling well."

"Oh, I see," Omi nodded giving Jack a concerned look. "Are you ill?"

"No. I'm fine and I'm-," Jack said, obviously protesting. He slowly moved to get up.

"Stay," Kimiko said firmly. "I'll make sure someone brings you food. You should rest."

"But…"

"Look you won't be any help to me tomorrow if you're passing out all over the place. Just take it easy okay? I'm sure Omi will be more than happy to bring you back something to eat. Right Omi?"

"Certainly!" Omi agreed with a smile.

"Great," Jack grumbled.

Kimiko wasn't sure what was compelling her to bring up Jack's help, which she really didn't want. Hadn't she been protesting it just an hour ago? Maybe the heat from the baths had made her light headed too.

She gave Jack one more time. He didn't look entirely pleased, but not really angry either. She shook her head, in hopes of clearing it. It didn't really help but she moved to the door and joined Omi who seemed to be curiously watching the exchange.

"Come on Omi, let's go. Rai's probably foaming at the mouth, stressing over where I am by now.

"Clay did have to hold him down to keep him from coming down here himself," Omi informed her.

Kimiko laughed at the thought as she closed the door behind her. Tomorrow was going to be a long, busy day and she had, in that moment, decided that she would enjoy the rest of the evening with her friends and not think about Jack Spicer at all.

---

After going to bed with a full stomach and having a peaceful night's sleep, Kimiko awoke the next morning. She'd had a great night with the others and hadn't worried about Jack or the work ahead of her for an instant. Now she was feeling much more confident about running the baths. She was ready to face the day.

She was relieved to enjoy a quiet, stress-free breakfast by herself after changing into her formal, hostess attire. Silently she hoped Jack had given up on his idea of helping her. That would make things a million times easier for her. Having him around was growing continuously bothersome, because when he was, he was all she could seem to think about. He genuinely was confusing her with every word and every action. He was still the same the same Jack Spicer…and yet wasn't.

However after breakfast, as she finished preparing the first guest room Jack arrived in his borrowed, formal attire. He was leaning against the frame of the door, looking like his usual, cocky self, smirking as he looked back at her.

"What?" Kimiko said impatiently.

"You look cute," he replied.

"Shut up," she growled and stomped passed him, out into the hallway. She hated herself for it, but she knew that she was blushing. Pushing Jack out of a ten story building was suddenly an extremely tempting thought for her at the moment.

"Something wrong?" Jack asked from behind her.

"No," she quickly replied. "You remember how the rooms should be prepared right?"

"Uh-huh."

"Well get to work on the room to the left."

"Yes ma'am," he said teasingly before slipping into the indicated room.

Kimiko kept moving and went to the room across the hall to prepare that one as well. As she folded the bed rolls into the room's closet space, she heard the main door slide open.

"Jack, get out of here!" she snapped, not even bothering to look back.

"It's me, but nice try."

Kimiko spun around and saw it was actually Keiko at the door. She had an amused grin on her face as she looked at her from across the room.

"Oh," Kimiko said and went back to folding.

"Got someone on your mind?"

"No!"

"Those red cheeks of yours would indicate otherwise Kimi."

"I don't know what you're talking about Keiko," Kimiko said, pulling her best stubborn act ever. She really did not want to talk about this with Keiko at the moment, especially with Jack just one room down.

"Uh-huh, well I just wanted to let you know that we'll be going out for the day. I'm taking everyone out for some sight-seeing," Keiko explained.

"Everyone?" Kimiko asked hopefully.

"Not Jack."

"Rats."

"It won't be that bad. And we'll be back just after lunch."

"Alright, have a good time."

"Will do. Try to take it easy okay?"

"Easier said than done, but I'll try."

"That's the spirit," Keiko smiled and gave Kimiko a quick hug before leaving the room. "Bye!"

Kimiko said goodbye to the already empty room. Then with a sigh she went back to work. Within an hour all of the needed rooms had been prepared and notice had come that the first guests were on their way.

Jack and Kimiko silently made their way to the guest entrance hall with Kimiko leading. Several times Jack quickened his pace to catch up with her but she would just speed up again until they were both practically running to the entrance. When they got there they were gasping for air.

"So…" Jack said, taking a deep breath and breaking the silence. "Who are our first guests?"

"A family. The Cartwrights," Kimiko replied as she double checked the guest list.

"…Cartwrights?"

"Yeah. They should be here any second now."

The guests were due any minute so Kimiko kneeled down into a greeting position.

"Um, Kimiko…"

"Would you shut up and get down here?" Kimiko hissed in annoyance.

"Right," Jack nodded and kneeled down next to her. "But I think that you-,"

"Shhh!" she seethed just before the outside door slid open. Kimiko bowed her head and took a deep breath in order to collect herself and be the most graceful hostess she could be. "Hello, welcome to our humble hot springs," she said gently.

"Oh my God! Is that you Jackie!?" a female voice shrilled.

Kimiko's head snapped up so she could survey the guests. Before her stood a typical rich-looking couple with a familiar young woman standing between them. She had a blond bob of hair and a mischievous smile on her face.

"Katnappe!?" Kimiko explained and immediately regretted it. That was not the was not the way a hostess should behave.

"No way! A Xiaolin warrior? Kim right?"

"…Kimiko."

"Right! What are you two doing here? Together?" Katnappe asked suggestively.

"We are not together," Kimiko replied stiffly.

"Our parents arranged it," Jack replied, standing up.

"Jack!" Kimiko gasped. They still hadn't properly greeted the guests, even if it was Katnappe. Jack stepped over to the blond and she leapt at him, giving him a tight hug. He laughed a bit and hugged her back.

"Long time, no see Ashley," he said as he stepped back.

"I know right? Not since Megan's last birthday. How's she doing by the way?"

"You can ask her yourself. She'll be back around lunch time."

"She's here? No way!"

"Yes, she is," Kimiko replied, standing up as well. Her greeting was already ruined anyway. "Now why don't I show you to your rooms?"

Ashley's parents seemed uninterested, but Ashley giggled and clung to Jack's arm. "Sure thing. Lead the way Jackie!"

"Yes Jackie," Kimiko sneered. "Lead the way."

Jack chuckled nervously but led the group down the hallway to the guest rooms. Kimiko took up the rear, behind Ashley's parents, silently glowering away. Her positive attitude was suddenly gone. Though maybe, she thought, with Ashley there Jack would stop trying to help. Let him spend time with that flirty blond. They deserved each other.

When they reached the rooms Kimiko showed Mr. and Mrs. Cartwright to their room and Jack showed Ashley hers which was right next door.

"But where's the bed?" she heard Ashley whine through the wall.

"In the closet. You bring it out when you go to sleep," Jack replied.

"Oh. I see. Maybe you could help me with that."

Kimiko rolled her eyes and wished she had a free moment to gag. Instead she showed the Cartwrights their own bedrolls and blocked out the rest of Ashley and Jack's conversation. The Cartwrights seemed to have been doing this since they had first arrived. Kimiko didn't blame them in the least.

After she had finished helping Mr. and Mrs. Cartwright and giving them a tour of the inn, Kimiko returned to the greeting hall. They were due to have three more guests that morning. While she checked the guest list again, Jack entered the hall, surprisingly without Ashley attached to his arm.

"Lost your girlfriend?" Kimiko asked, not looking up from the list.

"Huh? Oh Ashley," Jack replied. "Sorry about that. She's a bit…enthusiastic."

"Uh-huh. Great."

"Not jealous are you Kimicup?"

"As if," Kimiko snorted. "Dream on. And stop calling me that!"

"What? Kimicup?"

"Spicer, I swear I'm gonna-,"

Just then another guest entered the hall. Instantly Kimiko slapped a smile on her face and knelt down in the greeting position. "Hello and welcome to the Tohomiko springs."

Jack and his stupid girlfriend were not going to throw her off. Not anymore.


End file.
